Function: COMMUNITY GROWING, CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT

Utrecht municipality has a strategy for ‘Healthy Urban Living’, which places health at the centre of city development by weighing all decisions in terms of their impact on citizens’ health. In 2022, the Utrecht region ranked first in the EU Regional Competitiveness Index (RCI), based on indicators related to innovation, accessibility, digital infrastructure, education, health, and the job market. Rijnvliet, Edible Neighborhood is an innovative urban planning initiative centred upon edible public green spaces and a food forest. This residential area is a result of the collaboration between the former residents and the municipality.

Wageningen University will explore how citizens can engage with food sharing, using Utrecht as a testbed for face-to-face or virtual mechanisms. They will develop food sharing games and work with Cascoland to deliver two one-month long Lab & Kitchen pop-ups. Cascoland is a collective of social innovators leading new ways to engage citizens about sustainability through novel art and creative practice installations. They developed the concept of Lab & Kitchens as temporary spaces for deliberative encounters and have successfully run these internationally.

Contact person: Imara Antonius, Utrech Municipality.

Email: i.antonius@utrecht.nl